Cereal production in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Cereal production was 31.76 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
31.76 million tonnes
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
32.49 million tonnes
in 2020
All-time low
5.24 million tonnes
in 1994
Years of data
32
1993–2024
Cereal production in Ethiopia, 1993–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, cereal production in Ethiopia stood at 31.76 million tonnes.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 31.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cereal production in Ethiopia peaked at 32.49 million tonnes in 2020 and was at its lowest, 5.24 million tonnes, in 1994.
That places Ethiopia 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Cereal production in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 5.29 million tonnes | — |
| 1994 | 5.24 million tonnes | -0.9% |
| 1995 | 6.74 million tonnes | +28.5% |
| 1996 | 9.38 million tonnes | +39.2% |
| 1997 | 9.47 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 7.20 million tonnes | -24.0% |
| 1999 | 8.38 million tonnes | +16.4% |
| 2000 | 8.00 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 9.57 million tonnes | +19.6% |
| 2002 | 8.98 million tonnes | -6.1% |
| 2003 | 9.52 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 10.13 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 2005 | 12.74 million tonnes | +25.8% |
| 2006 | 12.66 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 13.65 million tonnes | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 14.43 million tonnes | +5.7% |
| 2009 | 16.86 million tonnes | +16.8% |
| 2010 | 19.00 million tonnes | +12.7% |
| 2011 | 19.22 million tonnes | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 20.83 million tonnes | +8.4% |
| 2013 | 22.27 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2014 | 24.16 million tonnes | +8.5% |
| 2015 | 25.86 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2016 | 26.60 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 29.30 million tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 30.34 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 32.27 million tonnes | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 32.49 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 32.46 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 31.18 million tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 31.50 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2024 | 31.76 million tonnes | +0.8% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 31.76 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.71 million tonnes, 11.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 31.76 million tonnes is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.65 million tonnes, 19.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.39 million tonnes | 5.24 million tonnes | 9.47 million tonnes | 7 |
| 2000s | 11.65 million tonnes | 8.00 million tonnes | 16.86 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.99 million tonnes | 19.00 million tonnes | 32.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.88 million tonnes | 31.18 million tonnes | 32.49 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cereal production in Ethiopia?
- Cereal production in Ethiopia was 31.76 million tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cereal production recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 32.49 million tonnes in 2020.
- What is the lowest cereal production recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.24 million tonnes in 1994.
- How does Ethiopia rank for cereal production?
- Ethiopia ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cereal production rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Cereal production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains.